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awebofstories's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
4.0
Grade: A
In discussing another memoir, I used a metaphor to describe how I think the genre should work. When you read a memoir, you are standing next to the author and looking out at the world through the same window. What matters is the size of the window. Some memoirists look through a small, clouded window. Qian Julie Wang is looking out of tall, clear windows with an expansive view.
This is not an easy story. If I could distill the feeling of this book down to one word it would be Dickensian. Julie (the name she adopts in her adolescence) and her family experience poverty that Americans don't want to admit exists in our nation. They also live under immense stress as they try to survive with the fear of being discovered and deported.
What I love the most about this book is how honest it is. Julie is not an angel, and she doesn't try to be. At the same time, we understand her. We understand that she has a burden no child should bear. She doesn't back away from showing the catastrophic effects of stress on her parents' marriage and she is able to convey her relationships with her parents with an amazing knack for illustrating with adult words what a child is experiencing. There were a few times were I was momentarily flummoxed at how she could be angry or terrified of her father and, a few pages later, loving him with her whole heart. This is not something an adult would do--but it is completely reasonable that a young child would.
I have only one complaint with this book, and I hesitate to even call it a complaint. There is a natural "chapter-ending" to her life, which is where the narrative essentially ends. She concludes with an additional chapter that quickly skims what happened in her life from that point until the present--but I wanted to know more! That last chapter made me feel a little robbed--not only because it felt rushed, but also because it alludes to so much change in her life. However, I will completely forgive this shortcoming if Wang comes out with another memoir covering this period in her life.
While this isn't a book to pick up when you want something comforting, it is one that I would urge you to read at some point in your life. And I wait with bated breath for more from Qian Julie Wang.
In discussing another memoir, I used a metaphor to describe how I think the genre should work. When you read a memoir, you are standing next to the author and looking out at the world through the same window. What matters is the size of the window. Some memoirists look through a small, clouded window. Qian Julie Wang is looking out of tall, clear windows with an expansive view.
This is not an easy story. If I could distill the feeling of this book down to one word it would be Dickensian. Julie (the name she adopts in her adolescence) and her family experience poverty that Americans don't want to admit exists in our nation. They also live under immense stress as they try to survive with the fear of being discovered and deported.
What I love the most about this book is how honest it is. Julie is not an angel, and she doesn't try to be. At the same time, we understand her. We understand that she has a burden no child should bear. She doesn't back away from showing the catastrophic effects of stress on her parents' marriage and she is able to convey her relationships with her parents with an amazing knack for illustrating with adult words what a child is experiencing. There were a few times were I was momentarily flummoxed at how she could be angry or terrified of her father and, a few pages later, loving him with her whole heart. This is not something an adult would do--but it is completely reasonable that a young child would.
I have only one complaint with this book, and I hesitate to even call it a complaint. There is a natural "chapter-ending" to her life, which is where the narrative essentially ends. She concludes with an additional chapter that quickly skims what happened in her life from that point until the present--but I wanted to know more! That last chapter made me feel a little robbed--not only because it felt rushed, but also because it alludes to so much change in her life. However, I will completely forgive this shortcoming if Wang comes out with another memoir covering this period in her life.
While this isn't a book to pick up when you want something comforting, it is one that I would urge you to read at some point in your life. And I wait with bated breath for more from Qian Julie Wang.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Animal cruelty
carlys_currently_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Animal cruelty, and Vomit
revolution666's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia, Deportation, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Medical trauma, Medical content, Racial slurs, and Racism
Minor: Cursing and Domestic abuse
savvylit's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Beautiful Country is a damning description of the emotional damage experienced by undocumented families in the United States. From the moment they arrive, Qian and her parents' lives are constantly dictated by the fear of being discovered as illegal. Excruciating medical concerns are ignored until it's nearly too late. Her mother, who was a professor of Computer Science in China, is forced to take exploitative and horrific jobs just to survive. Qian attends public elementary school and feels pressure to constantly portray herself as a born-American -- even early on when she can barely speak English. Her parents buckle under the stress and fear, becoming emotionally abusive and depressed.
As a whole, Beautiful Country deftly unveils the powerful myth of the American Dream. Though Wang does eventually become a powerful lawyer, it is in spite of America -- not because of it. This memoir is a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the challenges of living as an undocumented child in the U.S.
As a whole, Beautiful Country deftly unveils the powerful myth of the American Dream. Though Wang does eventually become a powerful lawyer, it is in spite of America -- not because of it. This memoir is a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the challenges of living as an undocumented child in the U.S.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Racial slurs, Classism, Bullying, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Domestic abuse
lizlikesfrogs's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, Deportation, Child abuse, Racial slurs, and Animal cruelty
leweylibrary's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.75
This was just a really solid memoir of a girl whose family immigrated to the US and endured all kinds of hardships while living undocumented in NYC. I'm like really bummed out about her cat in particular, is that ridiculous? Her dad was such a jerk about that cat when clearly their issues were much deeper than a superstition. I kind of wish it went more in depth beyond her childhood, especially concerning her parents. "The incident" at the end was so dramatic, and she went over it so quickly and then even more quickly jumped into how her dad eventually rejoined them. Like....I need more than that lol that's not something you just gloss over? Overall though it was really interesting and a good read that I'd definitely recommend to others.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, and Xenophobia
rosie_valadez's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Emotional abuse, Racism, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Animal cruelty
vaniavela's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Beautiful Country: A Memoir is an eye-opening debut that hooks you from the first few sentences.
My heart broke a couple of times reading it, finding her family's resilience and determination admirable. The author shares her experiences as an illegal immigrant, unafraid to show all the emotions she constantly felt growing up.
Wang writes this memoir from the perspective of her seven-year-old self, full of innocence and high expectations about the world. This is a really well-written and engaging book.
I admire how Qian Julie Wang writes, sharing an intimate part of herself with the rest of the world.
CW: racism and xenophobia (violence and slurs), asian fetishization, poverty and food insecurity, domestic violence, verbal abuse, body shaming, suicide attempt, trauma, animal abuse, pedophilic stalker, anxiety, psychological abuse/gaslighting, sexual harassment, mental illness, neglect.
My heart broke a couple of times reading it, finding her family's resilience and determination admirable. The author shares her experiences as an illegal immigrant, unafraid to show all the emotions she constantly felt growing up.
Wang writes this memoir from the perspective of her seven-year-old self, full of innocence and high expectations about the world. This is a really well-written and engaging book.
I admire how Qian Julie Wang writes, sharing an intimate part of herself with the rest of the world.
CW: racism and xenophobia (violence and slurs), asian fetishization, poverty and food insecurity, domestic violence, verbal abuse, body shaming, suicide attempt, trauma, animal abuse, pedophilic stalker, anxiety, psychological abuse/gaslighting, sexual harassment, mental illness, neglect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Xenophobia
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Body shaming, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Mental illness and Gaslighting
newtons's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Classism, Medical content, Mental illness, Abandonment, Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, War, and Domestic abuse
anu_wil's review against another edition
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Cancer
Moderate: Domestic abuse